A Royal Pain
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3 Keys To Recent Success For The Sacramento Kings

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates a three-point basket with Buddy Hield #24 in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center on December 11, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: Bogdan Bogdanovic #8 of the Sacramento Kings celebrates a three-point basket with Buddy Hield #24 in the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden 1 Center on December 11, 2019 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings have begun to turn things around and find themselves in a playoff push. What are the reasons behind their surprising turnaround?

After an ugly start to the 2019-’20 NBA season, the Sacramento Kings have somehow crawled back in to the playoff race. They have been able to do this despite the injuries to and shifting of the front court, and find themselves three games back of the 8th and final playoff spot as of Monday morning.

After losing 15 of 18 games in December and January, the Kings have now been the victors in 11 of their last 16 contests. There have been plenty of factors that have contributed to the recent string of success for Sacramento, from personnel changes to shifts in the rotation. We took three of the most important keys to success and broke them down:

1. Harry Giles’ Improvement

One of the brightest spots for the Kings over the last couple of months has been the development of Harry Giles. After receiving 15 DNPs in a row, Giles was thrust in to the regular rotation due to injuries to Marvin Bagley and Richaun Holmes. Since getting a serious boost in playing time, Giles has elevated his play in a way that we’ve all been waiting to see.

In our previous piece highlighting Giles’ contract situation, we mentioned that Giles was making his mark on games with his hustle and intensity, but lacked the ability to fill the stat sheet.

Related Story. Alex Len Has Been A Pleasant Surprise For The Kings. light

All of that has changed recently. In his last five games, Giles is averaging 14.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per. He is still providing hustle by diving on the ground for loose balls, consistency by staying on the court and out of foul trouble, and intensity by waving his long arms to pump up the Golden 1 Center crowd.

Giles solid play has not only been beneficial, but necessary as well. While the team now has a small semblance of depth along the front line with the additions of Alex Len and Jabari Parker, there have been games when the tallest King outside of Giles is Nemanja Bjelica. Giles has come up huge, providing a reliable presence down low in an ever-shifting front court rotation.

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